Showing posts with label Spanish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spanish. Show all posts

Tuesday, 19 March 2019

What's a Dreaming Spires Course Like?

We've been running these courses so long, we sometimes forget to explain the basics. We think everyone knows that our courses always start the second week of September and finish the second full week of May, and last 30 weeks long.


We finish in mid-May because I like my summers!

We also think everyone knows that our courses are one hour of live instruction online each week: an extra half-hour on top of that if the course has an add-on extension.

Except for foreign language courses, the homework is usually four hours to be spread out over the whole week, and most of it is reading, the books for which are generally engaging living books: no textbooks here! The written part is fairly low key and graded on whether it's done or not - should the quality be less than amazing, we work with individual students to improve, but it doesn't affect their grade.

For foreign language, there's more conversation and practice partnerships than there is reading.

In every course, we bring our expertise and enthusiasm for a subject, and if students are struggling with a concept or are interested in exploring down a rabbit trail, we can slow down and address these desires. The syllabus has been created by ourselves so there's no hard-and-fast rule about what has to be covered on it, other than wanting to do justice to the subject by covering what should be covered for students to understand it best.

There is, however, no one right way to achieve it, but our tutors have a whole chest of tools to use along the way, and teaching students how to use them, too, is our ultimate objective.










Monday, 11 March 2019

New Video Series on Youtube to Introduce 2019-2020 course line-up!

Starting March the 12th, a Youtube series gets underway to give you a brief description of each of the courses we'll be running for next year.

Talking it all through with you 

The first session is just about the common attributes of all the courses, whether science, foreign language, history, etc. Following that, I'll look at each of the courses in turn.

Why not subscribe so you get the link sent straight to your inbox?

Sessions One: The Intro - https://youtu.be/xKfGtuD-wHE





Thursday, 3 January 2019

Jump on a Course in January

At Dreaming Spires, we always take on a few new students after the Christmas holidays, slotting them cosily into our sociable and friendly courses when maybe their previous studies had become dry or boring, unmotivating, or perhaps not rigorous enough.


A student attends class in the airport!

We can do this because we run all our subjects on a modular or unit-based system. Sure, there will be a few things they missed from Autumn term, but all previous webinars and recordings are available should they feel the need to fill in the blanks.

So whether you want to add something like Spanish or French, delve deeply into the history of Ancient Rome or the complicated causes of World War 2, debate medical ethics in biology or the other sciences, write a stunning screenplay, or lay down foundations for great exam results by learning to read harder books and write solid essays, there's something for everyone at Dreaming Spires.

Course fees are reduced pro-rata, and jumping on now means a family can take advantage of the special pricing of our pre-registration period in April, when our current students can reserve places on courses that otherwise fill up fast.

Pop on over to our registration page to sign up today, or use the contact form to ask for further details.

Saturday, 31 March 2018

Early Bird Registration is NOW OPEN for 2018-2019

The REGISTRATION FORM for the academic year 2018-2019 is now live for the Early Bird registration period for our unique, online courses taught live for homeschooled teens worldwide.


Oh, the excitement!!

The EARLY BIRD PERIOD runs 1st April to 31st May, 2018.

Paying the registration fee for your chosen courses during the Early Bird Period will secure your place and entitle you to course fees at last year's rates, to be paid by 1st of September, 2018.

For full information, please refer to the Fees page of the website. This especially applies if you have used Early Bird registration in the past since the fee structure changed last year.


Thursday, 15 March 2018

Proposed Timetable of Dates

I've been looking ahead to plot the next academic year and thought I'd share how we get 30 weeks into our year while enjoying generous blocks of holiday!


DateEvent
Sept 10th 2018First week of Term
October 22nd 2018This week is a holiday for Autumn Break
October 29th 2018Classes resume this week
December 10th 2018This is the last week of class before Christmas Break
Dec 17th - Jan 6thChristmas Break
January 7th 2019Classes resume this week
April 15th 2019Start of Easter break for 2 weeks
April 29th 2019Classes resume this week
May 13th 2019Last week of classes before the end of the academic year


Thursday, 8 February 2018

STOP PRESS! Timetable out now for 2018-2019 classes

The title says it all ... we are publishing our tentative timetable for the next academic year, unveiling our newest course offerings like chemistry, French, modern history, and creative writing.

The year that packs a punch!

Registrations will open for our Early Bird period over Easter weekend, when registration fees will hold your place for the course of your choice. Last year, most of our courses filled up by the middle of May, so put a reminder on your calendar so you don't miss out!


Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
English Renaissance: KP  8 am  CST / 2 pm UK  English Middle Ages : JP      8 am  CST / 2 pm  UK  Ancient History Rome:  AS 8 am  CST / 2 pm  UK  English British Novel: KP      8 am  CST / 2 pm  UK 

Spanish 1 : JB will meet at   9 am  CST /3 pm  UK   Spanish 2:  JB will meet at  9 am  CST / 3 pm  UK  

History: 1914-1945: The Road to War: YM          10 am CST/4 pm UK  French 1: JB will meet at 10:30 am  CST / 4:30 pm  UK   French 2: JB will meet at 10:30 am CST / 4:30 pm UK   Biology KJ at 10 am CST/ 4 pm UK
General Science  KJ at 11 am CST/ 5 pm UK Creative Writing:  JP noon CST/6 pm UK English British Novel:  JP noon CST/6 pm UK

English Middle Ages KP    1 pm  CST / 7 pm  UK 
Ancient History Greek:  AS      1 pm  CST / 7 pm  UK 

Two courses, same time
Chemistry  KJ at 1 pm CST/    7 pm UK

English American Lit: KP          1 pm  CST / 7 pm  UK 







Wednesday, 20 December 2017

Now Accepting Mid-Term Entries for January 2018

If you've got tired of your curriculum already, if you're new to home education and looking for something to inspire you, or you just think it's time your teen buckled down and started working harder, then Dreaming Spires Home Learning may be your answer.

Are your current studies leaving you cold???
Let Dreaming Spires warm you up!

We offer live and online courses and accept mid-term entries for January, so your child can jump into our New Year units with any of our subjects, whether Spanish or Biology, Ancient History or English Literature and Composition.



Jump into our courses at mid-term!
We've been allowing people to join us mid-year since we first began, and nearly 100% stay with our programme for two-, three-, or four-plus years, so we know it ends up being more of a long-term love affair with our approach to studying, than a short-term quick-fix.

Get in touch today about registering for courses - we'll kick off the new year during the week of 8th of January, 2018. All classes will take a couple of students so the timetable is completely open.





Thursday, 18 May 2017

Unexpected Gifts -- Courses Almost Full Already

I know sometimes people will claim their courses are filling up to just get people to sign up earlier, but in this case, I'm telling the plain truth.

This is my "being honest" face

Dreaming Spires has added new subjects this year, and all of them are filling up in May when they're not due to start till the second week of September.

I can't believe it! Incredibly humbled and very excited, but also, stunned.


This is my "I'm stunned" face
So let me just make one plea: if you're considering joining us for any of our courses -- the four options for English and composition, Ancient Rome or Ancient Greece, Spanish and Advanced Spanish, or our new living books Biology course -- then please register today!

The only commitment is a £20 registration fee.

If you're still on the fence, let me just say three things: 
  • first, we're the only Charlotte-Mason-style, living-books curriculum delivered live and online by home-educating parents who are subject specialists (that's a mouthful: we really are a unique tutorial staff here at Dreaming Spires!);
  • second, we retain 80% of our families year-on-year, and for the first time in this registration period, we've had more than one family RETURN to us after trying a year of something else;
  • third, our "graduates" are contacting me to say that not only have we prepared them for their further academic studies, but that they MISS the way that we taught our subjects in such a living and memorable way.
So, with my most sincere face ...

Ummm ... no ... that's not the one ...


Okay, we'll go with this one

I sincerely encourage you to sign up today using the Blogger contact form on the right-hand sidebar, or drop me a line at
https://www.facebook.com/dreamingspireshomelearning/.

I'm very approachable, and I and my hand-picked subject tutors are committed to providing courses for your teens as though they were our own children.



Sunday, 26 March 2017

Early Bird Registration Starts 1st of April

No ... this is not an April Fool's joke - Early Bird registration for current Dreaming Spires students is opening on 1st April, to book places on courses that are due to start in September.

Don't be a fool! Sign up early!!


If you're not a current student, your Early Bird registration period begins the 15th of April and lasts only two weeks.

 Why sign up so early? Because April is the only month where you get two great deals:

  1. Fees will be held over from 2016; after 30th of April, the prices WILL increase!
  2. You are able to spread the cost over five months instead of paying the full price at once!
Pop on over to our Timetable tab and see all the courses we've got on offer this year: the oldies-but-goodies, four years of English with a composition option; our new star of 2016, Ancient History; and the new kids on the block, Spanish (2 courses) and Biology.

Go ahead and spread the word ... referral discounts are unlimited to the tune of 100% savings, so get out there and share!!!